Article carrier



E. L. ARNESON ARTICLE CARRIER July 25, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 16, 1959 IN VEN TOR. Mom/i @"rzea BY M Wm E. ARNEsoN ARTICLE CARRIER July 25,1961

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 16, 1959 INVENTOR. i'cZzz/zizlflwaiz,

BY MMfM 2,993,619 ARTICLE CARRIER Edwin L. Arneson, Morris, 111., assignor to Federal Paper Board Company, Inc., Bogota, N.J., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 840,417 2 Claims. (Cl. 220-113) This invention relates to article carriers of the type which are formed from a single blank of sheet material and designed to be rapidly assembled in an economical manner so as to provide a plurality of cells for the articles and a strong and sturdy center partition and associated handle structure.

The present carrier is of the general type illustrated in FIGURES 7 to 11 of Patent No. 2,537,615, dated January 9, 1951. Such a carrier is characterized by opposed pairs of vertical, flexible side and end walls, by a longitudinal partition and handle structure extending in a vertical plane between the end walls and parallel to the side walls, and by flexible cross partition straps which are disposed in longitudinally spaced vertical planes and are integrally hinged on vertical fold lines to the respective side walls and to the longitudinal partition and handle structure. The carrier is formed from a blank which can be cut from fiber board or paperboard stock sheets previously imprinted on one side thereof only with little waste in cutting. The blank is cut, creased and folded with certain partition forming portions being adhesively secured so as to provide a collapsed bottom panel having side panels foldably connected thereto, and having a raised center section with inturned cross partition forming straps hinged to the ends thereof, paired end panels foldably connected to the side panels and joined in hinged relation by integral inturned center partition securing flaps, with a multiple ply longitudinal partition and handle member formed by a pair of handle sections which are foldably connected at one end thereof to end extensions of adjacent center partition securing flaps and a handle facing flap foldably connected to the top edge of one of the handle sections and adhesively secured to the other handle section.

The principal object of the invention is to provide in a carrier of the type described a reinforcing panel in the longitudinal partition member which is foldably connected to one of the handle sections along a hinge forming horizontal crease line so that it may be folded to extend between the hinge connections of the cross partition flaps with the longitudinal partition member whereby to reinforce the hinge connections and provide a stronger and sturdier partition structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a carrier of the type described a multi-ply center divider panel or longitudinal partition structure in which reinforcing panels are hingedly connected to vertical edges of the handle panels and folded inwardly between the handle panels during assembly with one of the reinforcing panels having a section cut from the upper margin thereof and folded downwardly so as to be secured between the handle reinforcing panels and to extend a sufficient distance below the bottom edge of the handle panels to lie between the hinge connections of the cross partition straps with the center divider whereby to reinforce these connections and to extend the center divider .U 1i. d a P n -1Q 2,993,619 Patented July 1961 downwardly for better bottle separation at the center cells.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a carrier of the type described an improved center divider or longitudinal partition and handle structure which comprises reinforcing panels hinged to the vertical edges of the handle panels with one of the reinforcing panels having a top marginal portion thereof foldable about a longitudinally extending hinge line downwardly between the handle panels so as to strengthen the bridge under the handle opening by adding another ply of material which provides more uniform thickness in the divider and re sults in better adhesion of the strap connecting hinge areas under the action of the pressure rolls when the carrier is assembled in standard gluing and folding machinery.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the carrier which is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an article carrier having embodied therein the principal features of the invention, the carrier being shown in set-up empty condition;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the carrier with portions broken away so as to better. show the longitudinal partition and handle structure;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the inside face of the prepared blank from which the carrier is formed, the view showing adhesive applied to certain areas of the blank preliminary to executing the first folding operations;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the blank shown in FIGURE 3 following certain further folding and gluing operations; and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the completed carrier in flat knocked down condition.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated form of the carrier is fabricated from a generally rectangular paperboard blank 10 which is cut and creased as shown in FIGURE 3. The blank 10 is divided in the longitudinal direction into a bottom forming center section 11 and two wall and partition forming end sections 12 and 13 by parallel transverse crease lines 14 and 14' which are equally spaced from a medial transverse crease line 15, the latter dividing the bottom forming section 11 into two equal panels 16 and 16'. Since the blank sections 12 and 13 are divided, to a large extent, into wall and partition forming panel elements by identical creasing and cutting lines only one of these sections will be fully described, and corresponding parts in the same relationship on the opposite side of the medial crease line 15 will be indicated by the same numerals primed.

The end section 12 of the blank is divided bylongitudinally extending, transversely spaced crease lines and transversely extending cutting lines into side wall panel 17, end wall panels 18 and 19 at opposite sides thereof which are separated therefrom by the parallel score lines 20 and 21 extending longitudinally of the blank, and longitudinal'partition forming panels 22 and 23 which are separated from the adjoining end wall forming panels '18 and 19 by the crease lines 24 and 25, the latter also extending longitudinally of the blank. The one longitudinal partition panel 23 has an extended outer end portion panels 22, 22 and 23, 23'.

26 which terminates short of the and edge 27 of the blank and is adapted to be trapped between'panel elements of the handle structure when the carrier is set up. This panel has a notched hook formation 28 at its inner end which forms its bottom edge. The other longitudinal partition panel has an extended outer end portion 29 which is also adapted to be trapped between panel elements of the handle structure when the carrier is set up.

A center divider or longitudinal partition and handle forming section 30 extends between the crease lines 24 and 25 and outwardly in the'direction of the end edge 27 of the blank from the side wall panel 17. Thispartition and handle forming section '30 is hingedly connected to the extended end portion 29 of the one longitudinal partition panel 22 by an extended portion 31 of the crease line24. The section 30 is freed from the end wall forming panels 18 and 19 by diagonal cutting lines'32 and 33 and from the side wall panel 17 by the transverse cutting line 34 which extends between outer hinge forming sections 35 and 36 of the crease lines 20 and 21, respectively. The crease lines 35 and 36 form the inner hinges for relatively narrow cross partition forming straps 37 and 38 which are cut from the corners of the side wall panel :17 on the transversely extending cutting lines 40 and 41, the latter terminating short of the longitudinal center of the panel and extending parallel with the end portions of the transverse cutting line 34. Longitudinal crease lines 42 and 43 extend between the spaced inner ends of. the cutting lines 40 and 41 and the cutting line '34 to form the outer hinges of the cross partition straps 37 and 38, which straps extend, in the set up position of the carrier, .between the side wall 17 and the longitudinal partition and handle structure. 7 a

The longitudinal partition and handle forming section 30 of the blank is divided by a longitudinally extending crease line 44 which is aligned with the crease line M 43, into outer and inner handle panels 45 and 46 having hand holes 47 and 48 cut out as indicated, with the hand hole 47 having a locking flap'50extending therein from a transverse crease line 51.

A handle facing panel or cover flap 52 is separated from the handle forming section 30 of the opposite end section 13 of the blank by the transverse score line 53 and has its outer edge out out at 54 as indicated. In this section of the blank the inner handle panel'46' has a portion of its outer margin divided therefrom by the transverse crease line 56 and the V-shaped slot 57-to provide a panel 55. The panel 55 extends for a short distance along the outer edge of the longitudinal partitionpanel 23 and is freed from the panel 23' and the adjoining end wall panel 25' by an extended portion 58 of the .ont-

ting line 33' which frees the panel 46' from the end wall 19'. The panel has a dimension in the direction transversely of the blank which is somewhat greater than the corresponding dimension of the cross partition straps '37 and 38'.

Blank 10, when out and creased, is glued :and folded to providethe carrier which is illustrated in FIGURE 1. In setting up the carrier from the blank adhesive is applied to the inner handle panels 46 and 46' andto the end portions 26, 26' and 29, 29' of the longitudinal partition Thepanels 46 and 46' are then folded inwardly about the score lines 44 and 44. The longitudinal partition panels 22, 22' are folded inwardly about the score lines 124, 31 and 24, 31 while the correspondi g Panels 23 and 23' at the other side of the blank along with their adjoiningend wall forming panels .19 and 19' are folded inwardly about the crease lines 21 and 21 so as to bring the blank into the condition shown in FIGURE 4. Adhesive is then applied to the exposed faces of the outer handle panel 45, the'innerhandle' panel and the longitudinal partition panels 22 vand -23. Adhesive is also applied to portions-of onter-:handle panel 45' and inner handle panel 46'iand to the' handle-covering panel 52. The handle reinforcing panel 55 is then folded about the score line 56 as indicated in dotted line in FIGURE 4, the two sections of the blank are folded about the medial crease line 15 and the handle cover panel 52 is folded about the crease line 53 which completes the gluing and folding of the blank and provides the collapsed carrier as shown in FIGURE 5 which, when opened up, has the form shown in FIGURE 1.

It will be noted that the reinforcing panel 55 is taken from a portion of the blank 10 which would be waste in the form of the carrier heretofore provided so that this panel is obtained without any increase in the amount of stock required for the blank. The panel 55 not only strengthens and rigidifies the center divided but it improves the connection between the cross partition straps and the divided and reduces the tendency of the straps to tear loose at this point.

While specific materials and particularrdetails of constructions are referred .to in describing the illustrated form of the carrier, it will be understood that other materials and diiferent structural details may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a bottle carrier, a pair of rectangular bottom panels foldably connected to each other along a central fold line, side wall panels foldably connected to the outer edges of the bottom panels, end wall panels foldably connected along vertical hinge lines to the end edges of the side wall panels, each of said end wall panels having a longitudinal center partition forming flap connected along a vertical hinge line to the inner edge thereof, said longitudinal partition flaps having top portions extending vertically above the top edge of the side wall panels and the respective longitudinal partition flaps at each end of the carrier being connected in face-to-face relation, a pair of handle forming sections spanning the space between and secured to the top extensions of said longitudinal partition flaps, said handle sections being'foldably connected at one end thereof along vertical hinge lines to the top extensions of an adjacent pair of said longitudinal partition flaps and extending the full length of the carrier, handle reinforcing panels connected along vertical hinge lines at the other ends of said handle sections and folded so as to lie between said handle sections, and a pair of relatively narrow cross partition straps foldably connected at one end along spaced vertical hinge lines to each of the side walls at the upper margins thereof, the cross partition straps of each pair thereof being foldably connected at their opposite ends along vertical hinge lines to a handle section and a handle reinforcing panel, respectively, and one of said handle reinforcing panels having a flap member cut from the upper inner corner thereof which is folded downwardly about a horizontal hinge line and secured between said reinforcing panels, said flap member extending downwardly vbetween the hinge connections of the cross partition straps with the handle sections and the handle reinforcing panels and having a length sufiicient to extend between said hinge connections so as to be secured thereto and reinforce said hinge connections.

2. A one piece article carrier forming'blank presenting a bottom wall forming panel, side wall forming panels foldably connected to the opposite side edges of the bot' tom wall forming panel, an end wall forming panel section foldably connected to each end of both of said side wall panels, a center partition flap forming panel foldably connected to each of said end wall panel sections, a pair of center partition and handle forming sections foldably connected at one end thereof to end extensions of adjacent center partition flaps, and center partition and handle reinforcing panels foldably connected-to the opposite ends of said center, partition and handle sections, pairs of cross partition forming straps cut from the outer corners of the side wall panels-and each hinged at one end thereof to the side wall pan el from which it is cut, the cross 5 partition straps of each pair thereof being hinged at their opposite ends to a center partition and handle section and to the associated center partition and handle reinforcing panel, respectively, one of said center partition and handle reinforcing panels having an outer portion thereof fold able inwardly on a crease line which is parallel with and spaced outwardly of the outer edge of the adjacent side wall forming panel, said center partition and handle reinforcing panel extending between the center partition and handle section to which it is joined and the end extension of the adjacent center partition securing flap, and the foldable outer portion thereof having a dimension in the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,537,615 Arneson Jan. 9, 1951 2,765,100 De Maria Oct. 2, 1956 2,772,020 Kramer Nov. 27, 1956 2,776,072 Forrer Jan. 1, 1957 

